Beth Adubato & Rich Fisher
Beth Adubato & Rich Fisher
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, July 23, 2017
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg for Cabaret Scenes
Beth Adubato & Rich Fisher
The duo of Beth Adubato and Rich Fisher did a great deal right during their Sunday afternoon frolic. They have finely defined on-stage personas. Adubato is the slightly jaded 40-ish divorcee who offers up some interesting reinterpretations of oft-performed songs: “Taylor the Latte Boy” (Zina Goldrich/Marcy Heisler) becomes the story of an older woman’s infatuation with a young man, and “Ring of Keys” (Jeanine Tesori/Lisa Kron) is offered from the viewpoint of a once-too-often-burned heterosexual woman considering switching “teams” as she notices an intriguing woman. Fisher is a slightly quirky gay guy with a weakness for off-beat character numbers (“Ballad of the Gay Gingers” by Mike Pettry and “Air Conditioner” by Christine Lavin are some of his tasty offerings).
They have a comfortable and believable chemistry as buddies and their patter — mostly dialogue that serves as song cues — is amusing. They might interact a bit more with the audience, drawing them into their world. And they have obviously put a lot of thought into the programming of the show, giving a nice mix of comedy and ballads, solos and duets.
It is the duets that are, in part, the problematic areas of the show. As well-meshed as their personalities are, their vocal styles (and issues) do not combine comfortably nor pleasantly. They favor belting when intermingling forces, which highlights her brash, at times uncertain, voice over his more moderate one. And they chose for their final duet one of the most famous counterpoint numbers conceived for two of the greatest voices of the 20th century (Streisand and Garland, “Happy Days Are Here Again”/”Get Happy”)—not a good idea. Many of these issues could be avoided by employing a strong and experienced director.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews, Regional
